Mogul Michael Lynne Talks Wine and Film Production

The co-founder of New Line Cinema and Unique Features is also owner of Bedell Cellars on the North Fork of Long Island, New York.

By Anna Lee C. Iijima

How did you become so personally involved in wine?

I have an affinity for things that aren’t just one plus one equals two, things that have other dimensions to them. I love the film world and contemporary art and wine, because they all have this creative aspect to them.

Are there linkages in the way you manage film production and wine production?

There are unexpected consequences you just can’t control in both film and wine production. Very often with winemaking, it’s weather. In the film business, it could be weather or a multitude of other things. Neither is a process that can be controlled by one person. They are both intensive group exercises, with personnel having a very important effect [on] the success of the product.

As a longtime collector of fine wines, how has your collection changed over the last 20 years?

The focus of my collection used to be primarily first-, second- and third-growth Bordeaux wines. I still love Italian wines, particularly Tuscan blends, and have always been passionate about Spanish wines. As I’ve grown older, and you could argue wiser, my tastes may have changed a bit, and I’m much more into quality Burgundy wines.

What wines would you pull out of your cellar if you had only one day left on earth?

Well, I’d probably call my doctor first…but I’d go for a Vega Sicilia, an astonishing Spanish red wine. For a white wine, maybe something like an Italian Gavi. Quite candidly though, there are probably 12 other wines I’d have to consider as well.

For a casual night at home, what’s an ideal movie and wine pairing?

I’ll exclude my own movies, just to be fair, but I think I’d watch [The Godfather], which [is] such an extraordinary movie, and have a great Tuscan blend to go with it. For dinner, maybe pasta puttanesca.

Reviews wines from Germany and the Rhône Valley

Anna Lee C. Iijima joined Wine Enthusiast in 2010. A former attorney turned beverage devotee, she holds a Diploma in Wine and Spirits from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and is a student in the Masters of Wine Program. She is also an Advanced Sake Professional of the Sake Education Council with an enduring love for saké and shochu.